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A Scientifically Based Encyclopedia of the Paranorma BOOK REVIEWS A Scientifically Based Encyclopedia of the Paranorma WENDY M. GROSSMAN The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal. Edited by Gordon Stein. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 1996. ISBN 1-57392-021-5. 859 pp. Hardcover, $149.95. ny skeptic who gets called with tors' names should be just as familiar to Leonora Piper, D.D. Home, Margery any regularity to represent the SI readers: James Alcock, Paul Kurtz, Crandon, and Eusapia Palladino, and Amovement on radio or TV longs Larry Kusche, Bernard Leikind, Persi 1960s guru Carlos Castaneda, but no for a solid encyclopedia on the paranor- Diaconis, Martin Gardner, and Terence separate entry for Uri Geller. Geller does mal to crib from. The other night, I got a Hines. The editorial board for the book get a couple of pages in die entry on CSI- call from an astronomy type who had COP itself, and another under psychoki- been asked to go on BBC Radio One to netic metal bending. The Society for debate a prominent British astrologer. He Psychical Research, Charles Fort, and wanted information about die astrologer, Harry Houdini get entries, but not James which was no problem. But then he asked THE Randi (although he is quoted in a num- a question that had me stumped: By what ber of articles). There are vampires, exor- authority do astrologers claim to speak? ENCYCLOPEDIA cisms, coincidences, and miracles—but What are die origins of beliefs about the OF THE only a single paragraph on homeoparhy. characteristics of particular «ig"? of die and no separate section or index listing zodiac? I've done countless debates on for either the scientific method, the astrology, and I didn't know this most Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, or basic information about die discipline. quantum mechanics. Gordon Stein's The Encyclopedia of the This book loosely shares its category Paranormal could have provided an with a number of other tides. Leslie answer to my astronomer's question. Shepard's two-volume Encyclopedia of The section on astrology, written by Occultism and Parapsychology (Gale Geoffrey Dean, Arthur Mather, and Ivan Research, 1991) is much more complete W. Kelly, traces astrology from its on paranormal topics and claimants, but Mesopotamian origins through the Alan much less skeptical. James Randi's An Leo-inspired rebirth in the early 1900s to includes Carl Sagan (who also wrote the Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and the advent of today's personal computers, foreword), Antony Flew, and Stephen Jay Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural (St. which make days' worth of calculations Gould. Martin's Press, 1995) covers much of die die routine work of a second. Along die Many of die book's odier topics have same ground but in a series of short, pop- way, they analyze the main arguments for also been covered in SI: crop circles (writ- ularly written entries. Simon Hoggart's and against, and critique the most signif- ten by Joe Nickell), palmistry (Ray and Mike Hutchinson's Bizarre Beliefs icant evidence. If Geoffrey Dean's name Hyman), biorhydims (Terence Hines), (Richard Cohen Books, 1995), reviewed sounds familiar, it should: he was die and skepticism and die paranormal (Paul author, back in 1987, of a two-part series Kurtz). What's difficult to figure out is Wendy Grossman is a writer and the on astrology for die SKEPTICAL how the particular topics were chosen. founder of The Skeptic (U.K.). She lives INQUIRER. Many of the other contribu- There are entries for the mediums in Richmond, Surrey SKEPTICAL INQUIRER September/October 1996 51 BOOK REVIEWS in this issue, is aimed at the mass market metaphors valuable, it's difficult to accept tion; there are many other well- of people who have never thought about the dismissal of Castaneda's stories on the researched sections such as graphology these issues rather than at informed skep- grounds that his reports are untypical. and psychic healing (Chris French) that tics. But die best all-round introduction That example illustrates why con- lay out the history and significant is probably still Terence Hines's textbook- structing an encyclopedia like this is such research relating to a particular topic. I'd style Science and the Paranormal an ambitious and difficult project. Much like to think that this encyclopedia is (Prometheus, 1983), which manages to of this encyclopedia is really excellent. only die first version of a work that will be both readable and thorough. I've already mentioned the astrology sec- be regularly updated and enlarged. D But Stein is trying to do something different from all of these: His goal is to produce a scientifically based encyclope- dia. This explains many of die puzzling The Paranormal As a gaps in coverage. Stein says for some sub- jects he was unable to find suitable schol- Search for the Soul arly experts. Rather than commission GORDON STEIN articles by people whose credentials or background were, he felt, insufficient, he Leaps of Faith: Science, Miracles, and the Search for Supernatural preferred to leave some subjects out. At Consolation. By Nicholas Humphrey. Basic Books, New York, the same time, he limits his definition of 1996. ISBN 0-465-08044-8. 244 pp. Hardcover, $23. "paranormal" to include only phenom- ena—or anomalies—whose truth would icholas Humphrey was a real Again, I do not fault the book for this, depend on a violation of currently surprise to the people who but I do think that the choices possibly known principles of science. This means Nawarded the Perrott-Warwick ought to be a little broader. Humphrey he sticks to phenomena that are scientifi- Fellowship in Psychical Research at writes well, and the book holds the cally testable, leaving out purely religious Cambridge University. Although he did reader's attention. phenomena. Exceptions like the Shroud get the fellowship (despite fears that he Humphrey does take some strange of Turin are included because science is might be a skeptic), it turned out that he positions ("strange" in the sense that used to justify the claims made for it. has produced a book. Leaps of Faith, mat they seem to contradict some of his Fair enough. The result, though, is to is strong critique of the whole idea of other ideas). Among them is the proba- leave you frustrated when the subject you psychical research. Humphrey feels that bly true idea that even the most fervent the goal of most (if not all) psychical want isn't covered. The sections on statis- of skeptics (deep in his or her heart) researchers is to search for the soul. In tics and assessing coincidence are really hopes on occasion that the nontn.iten.il other words, diere is a stricdy religious useful, but most of us would really be world really does exist. Of course, motivation present. While I am certain glad to have a convenient place to grab wishes and hopes are not the same as that some psychic researchers (and prob- briefings on die scientific principles that facts. People can hope that the soul ably most psychic believers) have diis as paranormal claims violate. How do you their motivation, it is quite possible to exists without a single fact to support its argue against die often-repeated claim be motivated to do psychical research existence. that quantum mechanics supports a merely because you are interested in Humphrey feels that many who number of parapsychological claims? whether there are new natural phenom- believe in the paranormal are on what he It's inevitable that a book of this size ena that we do not at present under- calls a search for the soul. Their motiva- and scope will be somewhat uneven, stand. Humphrey sees a strict tion is to have the world become a bet- since no two authors will approach their dichotomy of motivations here, which ter place by harnessing the force of the topics in exacdy the same way. So die docs not allow for a middle ground. paranormal, even though some would graphology article (Barry Beyerstein) say that by its very nature the paranor- details die history and claims of graphol- Of course, Humphrey's skepticism mal can never be explained or under- ogy and summarizes the relevant about phenomena of a new sort in die stood by science. He posits what he calls research, but the Castaneda piece (Jay C. world or universe is perfectly proper. All "The Argument from Unwarranted Fikes) is disappointingly diffuse. For a scientists should be skeptical. The result Design," by which he means that //"an layperson who doesn't understand the of Humphrey's skepticism in Leaps of explanation of a phenomenon provides methods and accepted practices of scien- Faith will delight some readers, for it us widi no real reason why it should tific anthropology but has read certainly tries to downplay the likeli- occur as it does, then die real explana- Castaneda's books and found their hood that psi phenomena are real. tion of die phenomenon probably lies 5 2 September/October 1996 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER .
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